City Stalker
by Kinhotaru
Summary: Gaara had watched Sasuke work at Starbucks every day since he moved into his apartment with Temari and Kankuro. What happens when Sasuke starts working in the same building as him? SasukexGaara, AU, drug references, harsh language, yaoi. Please review.
1. Chapter 1

**Hiya. I wrote this story** **randomly in the middle of the night with no inspiration whatsoever.. So yeah. If I get a few reviews, I'll write a second chapter... I doubt it, though. xD This is a yaoi, if you are against that, just don't read it, okee?**

Disclaimer: I do not own Sasuke or Gaara, blah blah blah.. I do, however, own a lovely cat, go visit his myspace!

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A boy the age of sixteen walked down the street of the city, headphones on, music booming from them. Though, you probably couldn't hear what the boy was listening to.. The sounds of the city were thick in the air, and he was only a speck on the map. The boy was quite small. He stood around 5'1, and was just on the brink of being underweight. Bright eyes were lined with a heavy amount of black eyeliner, and, on the left side of his forehead, he had a tattoo, showing the Chinese and Japanese Kanji for the word love. But who was he to have it, since he had never had love in his life? It was an unanswered question, and it would probably remain unanswered for quite a while. Anyway, back to appearance, love comes later. The boy had messy, brick red hair that looked as though it hadn't been brushed in quite a while, and his skin was a deathly pale. It looked as though he avoided sunlight at all cost, which, in his case, wasn't exactly true. In fact, he went out almost everyday, based solely on the fact that he didn't own a car, and neither his brother nor sister had enough manner to let him borrow theirs. He would wake up at seven or eight each day, get ready, and be out by eight-thirty. He would walk out of his small, crammed apartment, then down the street about four or five blocks to the bigger part of the city. Then, he would enter Starbucks. 

Now, entering Starbucks wouldn't exactly seem like an unnatural thing to do. Pretty normal, in fact. But, well.. He usually didn't even order coffee there. He didn't go there for the coffee, he went there for another reason; A guy. He would come in everyday, order a muffin, bagel, something simple, and watch the other boy work from a table near the window, nibbling the morsels of food he had bought from the same person he stared at in need.

The other boy.. He was taller than himself, looking about seventeen or eighteen. He was pale, had dark eyes, and his hair was a shining black. He always had a stoical expression upon his face. And, everyday, the boy would watch him. His little golden name tag read 'Sasuke Uchiha' and to Gaara Sabaku, it was the only name that mattered on this small, lonely planet.

Okay, so... Gaara was in love with the guy. So what? He was a romantic, a poet.. He just hadn't been discovered yet. This WAS love, right? He had said little more to Sasuke than a quick 'Thank you.' each and everyday, and yet he couldn't keep his eyes off of him. He was so quiet, yet so.. Well, somehow, expressive. He showed every emotion of not caring, but in Gaara's mind, he was also showing a whole world of emotion in his own way. But did the mysterious older boy actually notice him, coming in here everyday and just watching, all alone? Gaara didn't know. In fact, he wanted to keep it an unanswered question. He didn't much want to know about what Sasuke thought of him, because, most likely, it was going to be negative.

Gaara had finally entered Starbucks. He looked up at the counter as he entered, adjusting his black messenger bag, still nervous after all these days of watching. Chains on his black pants jingled lightly as he walked up to the counter, staring up at the menu from behind another costumer, and acting as though he was actually interested in buying something. But his bright eyes continuously flickered to the workers behind the counter. Sure enough, eventually, he spotted him- Uchiha Sasuke. Quickly, he looked away before the other boy could tell he was staring. And, as it was everyday, a blush crept up on his pale cheeks, and he forced himself to stare up at the menu of coffees and bagels, hoping that today would be the day he would be remembered.

"Can I help you." A bored tone entered the thick air, and Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and looked in front of him. Standing there, in his work costume, was Sasuke, THE Sasuke, looking completely bored and unemotional as usual. And, unfailingly, Gaara's blush grew. "Uh.. Y-yeah, I'll have.. Um.. A plain bagel." And then Sasuke was gone, disappearing to the back to get Gaara's godforsaken bagel. Apparently, he wasn't remembered, and apparently, he never would be.. And what was with him and stuttering? He silently cursed himself in his mind, embarrassed by the way he couldn't talk to the one he obsessed over. And really now- A BAGEL? He sighed under his breath, rethinking the scene in his mind. 'Can I h-have a bagel?' He imagined himself, stuttering, small, stupid, talking to the one he was unworthy of being near. About bagels. HONESTLY.

When another waiter came out and handed him his order, Gaara paid quickly and left to sit at the table by the window as he always did. The blush had eventually disappeared from his cheeks, and as he watched the employees do their job, he nibbled a little on the doughy ring in his hand. Sasuke was no where in sight. Where, oh where had his love gone? Fifteen minutes past, and Gaara stood up, walking over to the door. Now was no time to be thinking about this, even though he couldn't get it out of his mind. Now, it was time to start thinking about work.

Gaara worked at a bookstore called Barnes & Nobles, down a couple blocks away from the Starbucks that he so wished he could stay at. It was a quite job, and it paid well enough. Often, on days when there were few costumers, he was allowed to walk through the shelves of books, looking in wonder at the different sections, the different interests and knowledge. Or sometimes, he would just sit at his post, writing, non-stop, in one of his many journals. Or he would write small poems, short stories, or something about dreams he had or things he wanted to do. Then, he would tear them out and slip them into on of the thousands of books in the store, hoping that an unsuspecting customer would pick it up and maybe be brought a little into his random, colorful world. He would often watch the costumers pull his little pieces of word art out of the books in the front table, and watch their range of expressions. From amusement to tears, he had seen it all, and this was just the sort of thing he was looking for- Someone to laugh or cry over something HE had done. But these were just costumers, nothing more, and he knew that the things he wrote would always remain anonymous to them.

Currently, he was walking into his workplace. It was quite a big bookstore. It had all the popular titles... And all of the less known ones, the ones that people preferred to keep to themselves. Secrets. A café was located to the right of the bookstore, though Gaara never felt the need to go there unless he was putting away books on the shelves near it. It was a fine café, but.. It didn't have what he looked for in a café, if you catch my drift.

So anyway, Gaara went directly to the back of the store to the bathrooms, right in between the kids section and the Art books. He stepped into the mens bathroom. No one was here yet- The store had yet to open in just a few minutes. Gaara quickly changed into his work uniform, stuffing his tight black shirt and chain pants into his messenger bag in place of it. Then, he walked out, looking around the store. Apparently, it had opened, for there were a few kids in the kid's section already, running around and throwing books everywhere with absolutely no control from their parents. What was he to do? Well, of course, he decided to ignore the whole situation, and he made his way to the front of the book store. A few other employees had started their jobs, and Gaara took a step behind the front counter, waiting for anyone who might have wanted to purchase a book. But hardly anyone came in at this time of the day.. So he pulled a journal out of his bag, flipped it open, and started scribbling down an entry for the date. So writing in a journal is considered girly.. Well, so what. He didn't care. It's not like he went to school and got teased for it.

...No, Gaara didn't go to school. He had dropped out last year, and now lived with his two siblings, Temari and Kankuro. Their parents had been killed years ago, so now the three had to make due with what they made at their separate jobs. Kankuro worked in a clothes shop on a rather... dark street of the city. Temari worked at a nightclub. ...Gaara had the most appropriate job, to say the least. Temari had a different boyfriend every week, and she would always drag them back to the apartment- Sometimes making it impossible to sleep with all the... Well.. Noise they produced at night. Kankuro was single, and seemed more interested in dealing in drugs than actually finding love. And neither of his siblings knew that Gaara swung both ways. He preferred keeping his.. Obsession.. Over Sasuke private.

The bell to the store rang, snapping Gaara out of his dreamland, and making him sit up. He stuffed his journal, gently, back into his bag, and looked over at the front door. Immediately, his heart skipped a beat. Standing in the doorway was Uchiha Sasuke, still in his Starbucks uniform, and looking even more damn hot than usual.

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**There, all done. Review if you want a second chapter; I promise it'll be more ACTION PACKED than this one. xD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ah, another chapter.. This one is a bit boring, but I promise the next one will be better, okaee? So don't stop reading now. Thank you reviewers: Amethyst Neko-jin, Glil, Sabaku no Emi, Jenanien,and Anonymous. ( Mysterious x3)**  
**I wuv you all.   
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this fanfiction, nor any of the mangas or travel-guide names. I do own a rainbow pack of sharpies that need attending to, though..**

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Sasuke turned, glancing over at Gaara for a split second. The said boy avoided eye contact as best he could... Which probably looked very pathetic. He was standing there, tensed up behind the counter, a blush creeping along his cheeks, his bright eyes glued to the counter in front of him. Don't look.. Don't look... But, despite his attempt at self-control, his eyes flickered upwards and met with dark ones. Shit. 

Sasuke was now walking over, his hands in his pockets. He was still in his work uniform.. His beloved work uniform, the one Gaara saw each and every day, rain or shine. The one that made such an amazing being seem so.. Normal... And yet, so fascinating at the very same time. His eyes had flickered back down to the counter in front of him, and Sasuke stood in front of him with a raised eyebrow, hands still tucked casually- so, so casually- into his pockets.

"Hey." Sasuke said.

Gaara looked up quickly, blinking tightly. "C-can I help you?" He felt more and more heat rise up to his cheeks, not letting down on his embarrassment.

Sasuke didn't move, but watched Gaara carefully, then looked around the store blandly. "Tell me where the café is."

Gaara opened his eyes, staring down at the cash register below him, and raising one shaky hand, pointing to the left. "T-that way.." He said, his voice barely a whisper.

Sasuke seemed oblivious to the fact that Gaara was.. Well, practically hyperventilating. Either that, or he was ignoring it to make the kid feel normal. "Thanks." He said boredly, walking to the direction Gaara had pointed. And then, he had disappeared behind the rows and rows of books, off to another thing, another event.

Gaara continued standing there, shaking slightly. He flopped down on the stool under him, his heart hammering in his rib cage like a trapped bird. What was WRONG with him? He couldn't even stand near Sasuke without having half an asthma attack... And he didn't even have asthma. He dared to look up, to look for the one he loved, to see where the mysterious boy had gone off to. But he couldn't catch even just one more glimpse at the one he watched, for he had disappeared else wear.

"HEY! Snap out of it, I don't have all day.." A voice rang through the stifling air, and Gaara snapped his head forward, noticing a small, growing line of costumers forming in front of him. Back to work..

"S-sorry." He said quietly, taking the magazines from the slightly-annoying blonde haired kid and scanning them, then swiping the customer's credit card through the reader. "Sorry."

And that's how it went for the first part of his shift. It seemed as though he was in a dream-land, and he worked without thinking, moving in an almost-robotic fashion to complete the everyday tasks. And he remained self-conscious.. He hadn't seen Sasuke leave, so it felt as though the one he loved was peering out at him from behind every bookcase, watching him stutter and shake and be his own clumsy self.

"Gaara-kun." Gaara looked up. There had not been a customer for a while now, and his boss, Kakashi, was standing in front of him, twirling his long fingers through the keys he kept around his neck.

"Oh, y-yes Kakashi-san?" Gaara asked, standing up and avoiding eye-contact with the manager. He glanced over to the left, making sure his crush wasn't watching him.

"...You seem distracted, Gaara-kun, something wrong?" Kakashi was now peering over to the left as well, an eyebrow raised. He ran a hand through his silver hair, not seeing anything of distress.

Gaara quickly shook his head. "No, Kakashi-san.. You needed me..?"

Kakashi, still seeming slightly suspicious, shrugged. "I need you to stock some of the shelves... Traveling section and Graphic novels, the boxes are in the backroom, they are labeled.. Think you can do that? Hinata-chan will take over your shift at the register."

Travel. Graphic novels. Travel... Graphic novels... Those two sections were right next to the café...

Kakashi blinked. "Gaara-kuuun... Quit drifting off, you have work to do." He, of course, was used to this dazed behavior from Gaara, and quickly shrugged it off, walking away to tend to something else.

To tell you the truth, Gaara was completely terrified. Of what? Well.. Coming face to face with Sasuke... He usually embarrassed himself. And he'd rather not repeat the event, especially not.. Well, hmm.. THREE TIMES in 4 hours? That HAD to be a record, honestly.. But he wouldn't let it interfere with his work. Mind drifted off to thoughts of the crammed apartment he went home to each night.. No, he wasn't going to let the fear of his lover get to him. Packing up his bag, he walked out the side entrance to the registers, taking the long way to the back of the store and opening the door to the back room.

Instantly, a draft hit him- All of the windows were open, and some of the furniture had been moved... Probably the doing of Kakashi-san, who did odd things like this at random. He set his bag down by the door, picking up the boxes of books; which were labeled, just like his quirky manager had said they would be. He pushed the door open, exiting the room.

Now for The walk. What is The walk, you ask? Well, Gaara had just created that in his mind- It was a walk to the Travel section, and it felt as though he were heading towards death row. Each step he took was careful and precise, and he tried to make sure he didn't trip and make a fool out of himself as he seemed to do so often in front of the one he loved. The one he loved... He did so love Sasuke, he was sure, but how was it that when he was near him, he felt a chill of fear run down his spine? It was more fear that he would embarrass himself, but still, it was there..

Before he knew it, he was standing in the Travel section. He could see Hinata from here, sitting, as she always did after his shift, behind the register in the front. How he wished he were there, sitting in her place.

Gaara opened the box in front of him, pulling out a book. 'An Inside Look On Maui'. He slid the three or so copies of the book into place under best sellers. Then, he pulled out another one, eyes drifting over to the café, then turning quickly back, not seeing enough to determine if he should really be so self-conscious at this moment. 'The Hillsides of Europe'. Gaara put the books into the correct places, eyes once again moving to the café. He dropped the book he was holding- 'HOT Travel Guide to Vegas!' and stared over at a table in the far corner of the café. Sitting there, staring over at him with a VERY slight smirk on the edges of his mouth, sat Uchiha Sasuke.

Gaara looked back down quickly, shakily pulling out another book from the box and reading the title mechanically. 'Nude Beaches 101'. What the—? He blushed furiously. Sasuke was staring at him and now it probably seemed like he was looking for a place to strip off and go sun-tanning. Hastily, he stuffed the book onto the shelf. The box was now empty. He stood up with it, looking back over at Sasuke. He was still being watched. But Sasuke noticed him staring back and gave a nod in his general direction.

Gaara had to check behind himself before turning and waving, very slightly, back at the Uchiha boy. Sasuke smirked again, and, quickly, Gaara turned away, facing the Graphic Novel section. He had just actually WAVED at Sasuke! After all the days of watching his crush, he had been recognized, noticed, acknowledged. His heart hammered in his chest. Today.. Oh, today, he decided, was a very great day.

He knelt down next to the bookshelf, now opening another box, not so scared anymore. But he still felt the sensation that someone was watching him... Was he really that interesting, though? Was he really one to be stared at as though an animal locked in a zoo? And yet, that was so very hypocritical of him...

He pulled a book from the box, fumbling with it clumsily before reading the title across the top cover. 'Fake'. He slipped the book in at the end of the series, reaching for another out of the box, attempting to look slightly cool if he could manage it. 'Death Note.' Gaara tried to keep his mind off of the dark staring eyes that were boring holes into the back of his head, and attempted to think about the books he was putting on the shelves. It didn't work out very well, however, and he accidently put a few in the wrong spots, such as putting 'Chrono Crusade' in the middle of the 'InuYasha' series, and then, somehow, accidently mistaking 'D' for 'G' and putting 'D.N.Angel' next to 'Genshiken'.

Ahh, who was he kidding? He was completely and utterly distracted, and all because one person, one person in this whole world was watching him. How could something so small throw him off so greatly? Hurriedly, he picked up the empty boxes and turned to leave.

Just as he was turning though, he bumped into someone. Stepping backwards, he bowed quickly, shutting his eyes. "Sorry, sorry." He looked up, eyes widening.

You guessed it- Standing there, looking as calm as ever, was Sasuke. "It's alright. Oh, hey, it's you. Thanks for helping me earlier."

Gaara could do nothing but nod, biting his lip slightly and staring down at the ground. Sasuke didn't move just yet, but when Gaara made no sign that he was going to try and continue the conversation or anything, he turned to leave, waving over his shoulder. "See ya around." And then, the jingle of the store bell sounded, and Sasuke was gone, leaving Gaara in a state of shock.

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**There, chapter 2 is done. I promise the next chapter will be longer, more action packed, and.. yeah. It will be BETTER, okay? Until next time, guys. -Disappears-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone. Sorry this took so much longer than usual to get out, I've been.. busy lately. So anyways, here is chapter 3! Like I promised last time, it has a bunch more stuff going on, and it involves Kankuro quite a bit. :3  
So yeah, I hope you enjoy it. Also, a thanks to my lovely reviewers: Fullmetalguitar, Roz-Chan, x0GaNgStA0xx, Go-go Chicken, Green24, Sabaku no Emi, Glil, TheFutureFreaksMeOut, MizukiHikari, Amethyst Neko-Jin, And Jenanien. You guys are my best friends. Also, special thank to those who favorited my story. I wuv you all.**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. I do own.. Um.. A POKEMON DVD! How exciting, huh?   
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Gaara entered his apartment. The rest of the day had been pretty boring.. And all that he could think about currently was Sasuke. Anyway.. The lights in the apartment were all turned on, despite the time of the night it was. Music blared from down the hall, coming from behind Temari's locked door. Kankuro was sitting in the trashed living room to Gaara's right, and the TV's volume was turned up just enough to drown out Temari's music. The images of a game show flashed across the screen of the TV, sending light to Kankuro's glazed over eyes. Gaara coughed so his presence was known, pulling Kankuro from his TV-induced trance. "Hey. Sup." He delved his hand into a bag of chips, pulling out a handful and stuffing them into his mouth, taking a swig of beer from the bottle in his right hand afterwards.

Gaara ignored the behavior of his brother, watching as the older boy turned up the volume of the TV with his toes. Gaara kicked his shoes off, and they fell limply on the ground after hitting the wall. He made his way past the kitchen, grabbing a soda from the fridge and going over to the door to his room.

He pulled the key to his door out of his pocket, unlocking it. He had had to equip a lock to his door in order to have his room remain private.. Kankuro often scrounged for money and things to pawn off when Gaara left for work. Some brother..

Entering the room, he flipped on the ceiling light and looking around. He saw what he saw everyday.. A messy, unmade bed, clothes scattered across the floor, CD's laying about out of their cases, and countless amounts of dishes sitting around from his midnight snacking. In the corner you could see the closet door from behind mounds of dirty clothing. Gaara walked over to it, moving the clothes out of the way in order to access the door. He pulled it open, thrusting his bag into it. Gaara looked up at the only picture of Sasuke he had, which he kept in his closet in order to hide it from his older siblings when they snooped around. Sighing, he closed the closet door, turning back to his unkept room. The song from Temari's room, which was right next to his, ended, and he heard disturbing noises emitting from the area.

He rolled his eyes, blocking out the sound by popping in one of his own CD's and walking over to the single window in his room, opening it. What did he see? Another building, of course. The lights were off in the window across from his, and the alley below was blackened, the glowing eyes of a stray cat peering up at him before disappearing into the streets.

Well, what a GREAT life! The very thought of having a great life was distant to Gaara, though. I mean, his life basically sucked right about now. A breeze blew in through the small window, ruffling Gaara's already messy hair. It was getting cold out.. He shut the window, turning around, then pulling a jacket off of the floor, slipping it on and walking over to the door. Seemed like a good enough time for a walk. So he exited the room, locking the door behind him and going back down the hall the same he came. He stopped when he saw Kankuro out of his usual spot on the couch. His said brother was pulling a black coat on and stuffing a bag of something into his pocket, slipping his over-sized shoes on over sock-less feet.

Gaara blinked. "Where are YOU going at this time of night?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and raising an eyebrow at his sibling. Kankuro flipped around, breathing heavily. "Holy shit... Don't startle me like that." He said, turning back away from Gaara and pulling his other shoe on. "But where are you going?" Asked Gaara. It was unusual for Kankuro to leave the couch. Kankuro had let Gaara have one of the two bedrooms in the apartment, so he stayed on the couch unless he was working. "I'm just goin' to.. Take care of some things." He mumbled, pulling the front door open. Gaara followed. "Well, I'm going for a walk, so I may as well follow you for a while." He said, looking over at Kankuro and shutting the apartment door behind them. Kankuro shrugged, and both of the boys walked along in a slightly awkward silence. Gaara glanced over at his brother as they entered the elevator. Kankuro seemed fidgety tonight, and his hand continuously moved down to his coat pocket where he had put the bag before. Gaara coughed a little... Making Kankuro jump lightly. Gaara raised an eyebrow. Kankuro grinned at his younger brother. "So umm.. Hey." He said, looking up at the mirrored ceiling of the elevator. "You find a girlfriend yet?" Gaara shook his head, staring down at the ground. He couldn't really tell Kankuro he wasn't into girls.. That would be kinda.. Wierd. Kankuro shrugged. "You'll find someone, buddy. Don't worry. I found someone."

This was news to Gaara, and he looked up with an inquiring glance at his brother.

"Yeah, her name is Sakura.. She's real cute and sweet..." He seemed to be in a MUCH better mood when thinking about his new girlfriend. Apparently, he was infatuated with her.. "You know, Gaara, I think I may really be in love this time, bro. Seriously. I might have something here.." Gaara smiled gently at his older brother. At least his brother had found a little happiness in the crappy life that their 'family' led. They exited the apartment building, Kankuro still grinning dumbly at the thought of his girlfriend. "Well, See ya later, Gaara." He said, walking to the left. Gaara waved lightly, watching his brother leave.

When the older boy was out of sight, Gaara sighed, walking the opposite direction, heading for the park. Where else would he go, really? He stared into the lit up windows of stores as the night life became apparent in the more popular parts of the city. Drunks stumbled around, laughing loudly at the slightest things. Gaara kept his head down, ignoring all those who acknowledged him, including the beggars who were asking for spare change. Finally, he came to the quiet entrance of the park. It was dark, illuminated only by a few street lights hidden among the trees.

Walking through the park, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared up at the starry sky. He could actually see the stars tonight.. It was quite clear, and the city was not bright enough to block out the faraway glimmers just yet. The moon hung lamp-like in the inky sky, and it was completely quiet save for the rustle of the wind through the trees and the soft trickle of a stream going under a bridge. Gaara walked over to it, looking down at the water moving smoothly over the rocks under the surface.

Everything was peaceful like that for a few minutes.. And Gaara continued staring down at the water, the moon reflecting off of it and the stars making it glitter. But then, a shout, not from far away, cut through the silent atmosphere. Gaara perked up, looking over at the place where the yell had come from. He crossed the bridge, walking along the path. Two figures were standing up ahead, a guy and a girl. They seemed to be arguing about something..

Quietly, Gaara snuck into the bushes to the side of the path, peering out at them. It was a small, pink-haired girl that he didn't recognize, as well as a tall boy.. Wait, was that Sasuke?

Gaara's eyes widened. It WAS Sasuke. Who the hell was he with, anyway? He listened intently to the conversation going on in front of him. Currently, the girl was speaking.

"...Really, Sasuke, I don't love him anymore, okay? I love _you_..."

"Shut the hell up, Sakura. You've cheated on me six fucking times, like hell you love me. You wouldn't know love if it slapped you in the face."

"Sasuke, please, I LOVE you! I really do! Kankuro is a thing of the past.. You and me, we could be something, we could have a future together!"

"No.. We can't. You hurt me and I'm not gonna step aside and let you do it again."

"Sasuke.. I..."

The girl ran away from the scene. She was gone now.. Gaara was going over what he had just heard. Kankuro.. A thing in the past? And did Sasuke call her Sakura? Great, he didn't like where this was going..

Sasuke had sat down on the bench by the fountain, sighing lightly. Gaara watched, his eyes brimmed with concern.. That stupid girl was cheating on both Sasuke AND Kankuro, and now she was making Sasuke depressed. Gaara felt a searing hate towards the girl for hurting two of the only people he cared about in this life.

Apparantly, he was breathing heavily or something, because Sasuke looked up, staring over in his general direction. "Whoever the hell you are, you can come out." He mumbled before looking down at the ground. Gaara swore under his breath, then stepped out of the bushes, staring down at the ground. "S-sorry.. I didn't mean to.."

Sasuke looked up sharply, but upon seeing Gaara, his eyes softened, and he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Just a fight.. It's not like they're uncommon." He commented, looking down at a rock and kicking at it. Gaara nodded quickly. "Y-yeah.. Was that your girlfriend?" He asked, finding that he was becoming bolder, seeing that Sasuke had his share of problems, as well.

"She WAS. Not anymore though, obviously. It doesn't matter. She was always cheating on me, and I'm not that into girls anyway. I'm Bi." He looked up as though asking if Gaara had a problem with it. Which, of course, he didn't.

In fact, the words Sasuke had just said were echoing through Gaara's mind. Bi.. Sasuke was.. Bisexual? This seemed like words from a god or something; These were the words Gaara had been waiting to hear since he laid eyes on Sasuke. Maybe.. Just maybe.. His biggest dream would come true. There was suddenly a glimmer of hope. But then, Gaara's mind plummeted at the thought of his brother being heartbroken in the near future. He had seemed so happy about finding someone he could love.. But now what?

Gaara glanced up at Sasuke, then looked down at the ground. "That girl's name was.. Sakura, right?" Sasuke looked up, his face emotionless, and nodded gently. "Why, you know her?"

Gaara nodded. "She's going out with my older brother." Sasuke didn't seem to affected by this. He only shrugged. "Poor guy. You should tell him that she's a dirty whore." He mumbled, staring up at the stars with his dark eyes. Gaara sighed. "He was talking to me about how much he loved her today.."

With a shrug, Sasuke got up. "Love doesn't last, remember that." He said as he started to walk away. "Not usually, anyway."

Gaara didn't stop his loved one from leaving, just watched as the older boy left the area. Love doesn't last, hmm? As he made his way back to his apartment, he silently hoped that this simple statement wasn't true.

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**There it is, Chapter 3! I hope you liked it.. And if not, I'm sorry. ;-; Umm, yeah, I should have chapter 4 out soon enough, but don't quote me on that.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone. I got this chapter out pretty fast, I think.. I hope you like it. :3 Thankyou to all my newest reviewers; Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, gaara13lover, leilani214, and Kawaii-Aikurushii-Kitsune. If I missed you, I sorry, and I still love you. ;-;**

Umm.. Yeah. Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own any of the Naruto characters. But I DO own a sketchpad, which I should be drawing in right now for my friend's birthday. xD  
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Gaara blinked awake, rubbing his eyes and smudging his thick black eyeliner. He had went to bed rather suddenly after last nights events.. He didn't really want to get in Kankuro's way.

Kankuro.. Well, he had not taken Sakura's little.. 'Affair' lightly. He first began by throwing a picture of her out the window, accidently hitting a stray cat with it, and yelling at anyone who got into his way. Temari, of course, didn't notice her brother's pain, for she had disappeared for the night, leaving Gaara to deal with his rampaging brother.

After that, Kankuro had locked himself into his room, refusing to come out, even to eat. And then, Gaara pretty much just went to bed, trying to speed up the rest of the night into the next day.

He got out of his messy, crumb-filled sheets, kicking his legs over the side of the bed and yawning. What time was it.. He stood up, glancing over at his alarm clock. He had about a half hour to get ready.. He didn't even need that much time, to be honest, but it was nice to be up so early. Walking over to the piles of clothes by his closet, he opened his messenger bag and pulled out his now-wrinkled work uniform from it. Well, it's not like he had a spare..

He pulled his loose t-shirt that he had slept in off, tossing it to the pile in the corner, adding to the messy atmosphere of the room. Then, he slipped his bare legs into his work pants, buttoning them up before pulling his shirt on. He looked into the mirror on the back of his door. Messy red hair, smudged eye-liner, a bad, slumping posture, and a wrinkled uniform. My, didn't he look lovely today!

Sighing, he walked out into the hallway, grabbing his bag along the way. It was completely quiet.. Which was very strange. That meant his siblings were actually DOING something! Wow! Before going down the hallway, he walked into the bathroom, messing with his hair until it looked halfway decent, then wiping off his eyeliner and reapplying it. That was a LITTLE better.. Sighing, he turned to leave the room, but paused when he heard a scratching noise coming from behind the fish-print shower curtain.

He started, looking over at the curtain. "...Hello?" He asked, staring over at it. More scratching.. What the hell was in there, anyway, a baby or something? Cautiously, he walked over to it, moving his hand slowly to the rim of the curtain.

Pulling back with a snap, he looked down into the tub. Sitting there was a little fluffy black kitten about the size of a hand, peering up at him with still-blue eyes. It meowed lightly, attempting to jump out of the tub. It seemed that the kitten's little visit was planned, too.. Because there was food and water to the side, as well a small animal bed and a litter tin. Gaara stared down at the creature. Umm.. Okay..

Reaching down, he stroked it on the head gently, letting it lick the salt off of his fingers. Somehow, the kitten jumped up to the side of the tub, and was now rubbing against Gaara, purring loudly. Gaara stood, looking down at his digital watch on his right wrist. He had to get going.. Walking away, Gaara suddenly felt the unpleasant sear of pain as claws were dug into his leg. He looked down to see the kitten climbing up his pant leg like a monkey. "Umm..."

Okay, looked like it was time to ask Temari.. He walked out into the hall, going over to the kitchen where Temari was sitting, staring at the wall and sipping at a cup of black coffee.

"Hey.." Gaara said upon entering the room, stuffing his right hand into his pocket and grasping onto the strap of his messenger bag with the other. "Any idea where this cat came from?" The kitten had now moved up to his arm, clawing at the fabric of his work uniform.

Temari snapped out of her trance-like state, looking blankly from Gaara to the kitten before a smile cracked across her face. "Oh, that's Shrimp. I found him all alone when I was coming back from the nightclub yesterday.." She got to her feet, walking over and unlatching Shrimp from Gaara's arm. "Isn't he cute?"

"Sure.." Gaara said, looking over at the ball of black fur. "But you know this apartment usually doesn't let animals."

Temari's eyes softened as she stroked the creature in her arms. "Yeah.. But I was thinking of keeping him in secret. Just for a while, at least." Gaara sat down at the table. Okay.. Well, he usually thought his siblings were complete idiots with the jobs they had gotten themselves into.. But over the past couple days, it was showing that they were actually human, after all. He sighed gently. There was an awkward silence.

Temari broke it, looking up. "Hey.." She said. Gaara looked up to show he was listening before she continued. "Do you have any idea what's wrong with Kankuro?"

Gaara looked away from her at that, staring at the kitten held in her arms. "The girl he thought he loved cheated on him."

Temari raised an eyebrow at that. "You say it so bluntly, little brother." She said with a slight smile. "I guess I'll talk to him about it before he leaves for the clothes store and stuff.." Gaara nodded slightly. At this rate, he was going to miss his daily visit to Starbucks.. Temari seemed to notice his agitated body language, blinking. "You can go, you now, you don't need to sit and talk to me.. You're gonna be late." She smiled at him, gently, letting Shrimp climb up her shirt onto her shoulder. Gaara nodded. "Yeaah... Right." He turned, walking from the cramped room. Well.. That was the most he'd said to Temari in a bout 3 months! He really was on a roll with his siblings lately. Walking out the apartment door, he made his way down the shady road until he reached the more popular part of town, walking quickly and stopping in front of Starbucks.

As usual, he entered, looking around for the one he had come for. But Sasuke was no where in sight, and as the clock ticked away at the time, Gaara grew more anxious. Soon enough, he had to leave, and he stepped out onto the side-walk, moving quickly towards the bookstore. Where was Sasuke? Where had his loved one gone? There hadn't been a day that he hadn't seen Sasuke working in that Starbucks ever so nonchalantly, but where was his beloved now?

The questions littered his mind as he entered the bookstore, the bell ringing to show that someone had arrived. He took up his post at the cash register, as usual, sitting there, feeling puzzled and incomplete. As usual, no one was here yet but employees chatting in the back or stocking the shelves.. And, unlike yesterday, there was no sight of Sasu–

"Hey."

Gaara froze, turning wide-eyed to the sound of the voice. So much for no sight of Sasuke.. The guy himself was standing there with a bored look on his face. And what was more, he had a uniform on. A uniform not for a Starbuck's employee, but for a Barnes & Noble one.

The only things that crossed Gaara's mind were two words.. Holy shit.

"H-hi." Gaara said, looking down with a slight blush. What had happened to him? He had been talking to this very same guy last night, bu back then, he hadn't stuttered, blushed or anything. What happened?

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and was about to say something when Kakashi, ( The manager if you don't remember. ) interrupted the sentence. "Hello, Gaara-kun, Sasuke-kun. I see you've met, then?"

Sasuke nodded slowly, not breaking eye-contact with Gaara. "Yeah, we've actually met before."

Kakashi seemed delighted at this simple statement, and smiled happily. "Oh, good, then! Gaara, please show Sasuke around. He is the new Café worker that I've been trying to get." With that, Kakashi took his leave, walking to the DVD section of the bookstore to check on someone else.

Gaara stood there silently, too stunned to say anything. Sasuke was working.. At the bookstore? THE Uchiha Sasuke was going to be working in the same store as him from now on? AND he was single. AND he was Bi. Could this situation get any better? Gaara hid his happiness, looking up at Sasuke with a very small grin.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You seem surprised."

Gaara nodded slightly, looking back down and tapping a few keys on the keyboard as if he was actually doing something of value. "W-well.. What made you want to work here?"

Sasuke shrugged, looking down at his new name tag and wiping something off of it with his thumb. "Trouble at my old workplace... Plus, the employees here are just to damn cute." He looked up with a slight smirk.

Gaara, at this point, felt as if he was going to pass out. Was this a dream? Nothing good was supposed to happen to him. Gaara just wasn't an all-around lucky guy.. So how could all of this be happening?

"W-well, I guess I should show you the employee areas.." Gaara mumbled, coming out from behind the register. Sasuke continued staring at him as he walked past, and followed the younger boy, awaiting guidance.

Gaara headed towards the back, opening the 'Employees only' door, holding it for Sasuke. The dark-haired boy glided past, and Gaara let the steel door close on it's own.

"This is the lounge.." Gaara said quietly, looking around. It was pretty down to earth.. A coffee machine, chairs, vending machine, a table, and a few open windows at the back of the room. Sasuke didn't fit in in such a bland room.. Ah well, he made it look better, at least.

"A-Across the hall from here is the storage room, but you probably won't have to go in there very often since you work at the café."

Sasuke nodded, still looking around the colorless area that they were in right now.

"So.. That's pretty much it, than?" Sasuke asked, not turning around. He was staring out the window, dark eyes distant.

Gaara said yes, nodding even though Sasuke wasn't looking at him, and staring down at the white tiled floor, kicking at it gently with the toe of his black shoe. He felt eyes watching him, and looked up to see Sasuke staring at him. "You're a nervous kid, aren't you?" He asked. Gaara blushed more deeply before turning and opening the door to the lounge, walking out into the hall. "W-what makes you say that?" He asked quietly.

Sasuke came out the door after him, letting it fall closed. "You're always stuttering and blushing and stuff." He took a step closer to Gaara. Gaara felt Sasuke's breath on his neck, and the older teen whispered into the younger's ear. "It's cute."

And with that, Sasuke walked past the stunned kid, disappearing behind the shelves and shelves of books. Gaara stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the spot where he had last seen Sasuke. Wow.. Looked like his life was going to take a sudden turn of events.  
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**Chapter 4 complete. Sorry for the lack of.. Well, story. I'll keep trying to improve it, I promise. And also, I'm wondering if you guys want me to write a lemon in the end of this story. I'll have to raise the rating on it, but if you guys want me to write one, I will. ( It would be my first lemon, but.. I've read plenty. xD )**


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, this is chapter 5. Sorry it came so late, I've just started my Freshman year in highschool, and.. Well, yeah, busy busy. x3  
So yeah, I hope you like it. Nothing really to say about this chapter.. You'll have to find out yourself. :3

Disclaimer: I don't own Starbucks, Dr. Pepper, or any of the characters. I do own some toothpaste, though. I should use that right about now...

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The next week or so went on completely normally. It was as if Sasuke wasn't even there.. Gaara only saw him once every morning, but to his dismay, they rarely exchanged any words more than a quick 'Hello' or 'What's up?'. Gaara would then move onto the cash register and Sasuke would turn left to go to the café, where he had quickly gained recognition from many of the local girls, who now came in daily to ogle at him from behind bookshelves. Some were even brave enough to go up and order coffee or some sort of pastry.

On another note, Gaara no longer had to stop at Starbucks everyday. Instead, Sasuke came to him just as he had once gone to Sasuke. It was a rather pleasant change, actually, because he never really liked Starbucks itself.

But a few things changed on Friday afternoon. Gaara was pretty happy that it was going to be Saturday tomorrow; it was his day off, and he would be able to relax a little bit. Gaara entered the store as usual. He looked around, immediately spotting Sasuke. Wait, why was he here this early? Sasuke had never come to work earlier than Gaara. The raven-haired teen had his back towards the door, and seemed to be looking at the stand in front... The Month's best sellers. Immediately, Gaara's blood went cold as ice. Those books... He sometimes left his poems and notes in them for people to find...

Quickly, he made his way over to the table, standing next to Sasuke and looking over his shoulder. Sure enough, there was a scrap of paper clasped in his long, pale hand, and he was reading over it with a stoical expression. When he heard Gaara approach, he glanced over his shoulder before returning to looking at the scrap of paper in his hands. It was to late.. Sasuke had read the poem. And though Gaara hadn't signed it or anything, it was blindingly obvious who wrote the little love note about a certain raven-haired boy.

Sasuke turned, staring at Gaara with a emotionless expression. Gaara himself was staring at the ground, a blush coming across his face. Sasuke finally tore into the silence.

"Uh... Weird things people put into books, huh?" He said casually, still staring down at Gaara, trying to catch his eye.

Gaara swore in his mind. God dammit, it was so obvious he had written it, why was Sasuke acting like he didn't know? But, very slowly, he nodded his head, the time ticking away at turtle-like pace as they stood, facing each other.

Sasuke stared at him for another minute or two. "Uhh... Yeah. Looks like I gotta get to work. Meet me here on your break, we can hang out for a while."

Gaara nodded slowly, and Sasuke gave him one last look before turning and darting away near the café. Gaara let out his breath, feeling slightly dizzy. Great. He looked over at the table, the books stacked neatly once more. He hadn't seen if Sasuke had taken the poem or left it, but it was no use looking now... His secret was out, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He replayed the conversation in his mind over and over before finally taking the last sentence into realization. Sasuke wanted to meet him... Right here... On break? What a bittersweet scene...

The rest of the time before break flew by relatively fast. Gaara had little work to do; it was slow today, for some reason, and the only thing he had to deal with were the odd quirks of Manager Kakashi, who decided he wanted to move some of the sections of books around for a fresher flow of Fung Shui or something...

When his break came, he immediately fled to the bathroom, where he stood for a while, trying to figure out what to do. Of COURSE he was going to go with Sasuke... Damn it, the other boy was probably waiting by now... But where were they even going? What was he going to say? He left the room with a feeling of dread filling the pit of his stomach.

Walking past the Children's and Art section, he moved through the shelves of books, the front finally coming into view. Sasuke was standing there, leaning up against the wall.. Man, he looked hot... So cool, sophisticated.. Like he was merely standing without reason, not waiting for HIM of all people. When Sasuke locked eyes with Gaara, it nearly stopped him dead in his tracks, but he forced himself to keep in motion.

"Hey, you came." Sasuke said softly. It almost sounded as if he didn't expect Gaara to show up, as if something like that had happened to him before. Who knows? Maybe it had.

Gaara could do nothing but nod, and a very slight grin came across Sasuke's face. "You need to talk more, you know that?" He said. "Come on. Let's get something to eat."

Despite being told that he needed to speak up more, Gaara nodded in silence, following the dark-haired boy out of the store. Sasuke seemed to be leading him in the opposite direction of the store, a road Gaara rarely traveled. Before long, the other boy turned once more, making his way into a darker part of the city, where clothing and jewelry stores were scattered within rows of Tattooing places and Piercing parlors. He still said nothing to Gaara, though, so the younger boy just continued following, staring around at the new surroundings.

But, no, wait... This wasn't new. He had been here before... This was somewhere around the parts where Kankuro and Temari worked. In fact, they were probably somewhere around here right now. Gaara piped up.

"Uh... Where are we going?" He asked, managing a sentence without stuttering. Sasuke glanced over. "Just come on, there's a good place near here.. This is just a detour I make, it's a shortcut through the city... Back roads is all." The place was getting more and more crowded, people coming out of the shops, people dealing, people selling drugs from the alleyways. Sasuke reached back, taking a hold of Gaara's thin wrist and moving more quickly through the crowd.

The cool touch of the older boy made Gaara's hair stand on end; it was like electricity, and it sent a shock running through his body, unlike anything he had ever felt. When they were through the crowd, his arm was released, and he longed for the warmth to return, practically feeling the smooth touch of Sasuke's hand.

"Hey." Sasuke said, staring over at Gaara. Gaara looked up from staring at his wrist, slightly embarrassed. "You coming in?" The raven-haired teen was holding open a door to a dimly lit place. Gaara nodded quickly, walking in and looking around, still rubbing his wrist subconsciously. The place was a bit brighter in here, and it smelled like smoke and metal. Sasuke walked past Gaara, leading him through the building, wooden floorboards squeaking under their weight as they made their way to a table in the corner. They sat down. Gaara must have looked out of it or something, because Sasuke was now repeating himself, trying to get the other's attention.

"Hey. HEY. Gaara." Gaara looked up quickly; he had been staring down at the black table. "Y-yeah?" Sasuke continued. "This place isn't really good for food. Just sort of a more quiet café, you know? Get a soda or something." So when the waitress came, clad in black with rainbow shoelaces tied around her wrists and a grin on her face, ready to take their order, Gaara did just that. Soon enough, both him and Sasuke were sitting in silence, sipping at Dr. Peppers and saying nothing.

As usual, Sasuke broke the silence. "So you wrote that poem, huh?" Gaara looked up, a blush coming across his features. He bit his lip, looking down. Sasuke studied his expression for a moment, looking at the other boy's eyes before sighing and leaning back, shutting his own. "You got part of that poem wrong, though." Gaara said nothing, just continued sitting, staring down in embarrassment at the table. So this was it, Sasuke had invited him here just to make fun of him about his stupid poetry... Maybe the chemistry was coming to a halt.

Sasuke only continued. "You said I didn't notice you in it. When I worked at Starbucks; you said I never noticed your face or remembered you coming in each day. I did." Gaara didn't move, but quite honestly, he was shocked. If Sasuke had noticed, why hadn't he said anything? "Y-you did?" The raven-haired boy nodded calmly, now sipping his drink again, staring thoughtfully out the window. The café was below ground, so he ended up staring at people's shoes as they stepped by; people who were probably unaware that their feet were being surveyed.

Sasuke seemed.. A lot quieter all of the sudden. A lot more real. Different than what Gaara had expected. He decided to be the one to break into the silence this time. "If you noticed me, why didn't you say anything?" He asked. Sasuke didn't turn to look at him, though he was trying to catch the boy's dark eyes. Sasuke continued staring at the feet going by outside. Sandals, combat boots, tennis shoes, flip-flops, flip-flops, tennis shoes.. He answered without looking over. "Scared, maybe."

Gaara found it completely foreign that such a cool person could be swayed by HIM of all people. Scared? Sasuke? No.. The two words just didn't go together. It was like... Like... Hot and cold. Couldn't go together as anything more than opposites. "Scared of what... ME?"

Sasuke shook his head. He stopped looking at the people walking by and turned back to Gaara, taking another sip of his soda. It made a slurping noise, all gone.. So he had began to pop ice cubes into his mouth, sucking on them. "Not scared of you. Scared of talking to you, I guess. Dunno why, it's really not like me. I guess... I like you. But I like people better if they make the first move."

Gaara took in the reason, thinking it over in his mind, staring down at the tabletop and scratching at it gently with one of his black fingernails. He was unsure of what exactly to say to that.. Really, what could he say? "A-are you still scared?"

Sasuke shrugged, a bit of an annoyed expression coming across his face, making his distant one disappear. "I'm talking to you, aren't I?" At that, Gaara smiled a bit, then nodded. He felt eyes on him and he looked up, finding that Sasuke was staring at him. He gave the older boy an inquiring look.

Sasuke smiled a little, putting his hand in his glass, fishing out another piece of ice, and sucking on it gently. "You look good when you smile." He said as his answer, crunching down on the frozen water in his mouth. "T-thanks..." Gaara managed to mumble. He took a sip of his own half-gone soda, now at a complete loss for words.

It was silent for a few more minutes before Sasuke stood up. He produced a piece of paper from his pocket, scribbling something down on it before sliding it towards Gaara. The younger boy looked down at it. In print handwriting was a cell-phone number and what looked like an instant messenger screen-name. He was still staring down at them when Sasuke spoke. "Call me sometime this weekend. We can hang out or something." And with that, he turned on his heel, leaving a couple dollars on the table for the drinks, and exiting the shop without another word.

Gaara stared blankly at the place Sasuke had been standing a minute before, then moved his eyes back to the piece of paper held in his hands. Then, he stood up, walking past a few people and walking out the door. He stared around at the scenery; Sasuke was no where in sight. He was at the corner of the dark street his siblings worked at and one of the central parks of the city. Deciding not to take the 'shortcut' Sasuke had led him through, he went to the right, walking through Central Square towards the bookstore.

God.. This park was full of couples. The Sakura were in full bloom because of the season, and people were out viewing them on romantic dates. He passed some of his old classmates; Neji and Ino. Ino was sitting in Neji's lap, and they were kissing, a blush coming across the female's cheeks, Neji's eyes half open. Gaara turned away, exiting the Square. All right, that was the last time he was going through THAT place... He continued walking, still staring ahead, and now turning on the corner of the right street. The scrap of paper given to him from Sasuke was still clasped in his hand as though some rare relic, and he wasn't thinking straight- All of the sudden, things were changing for him... I mean, really, he could practically call Sasuke a FRIEND now. His only friend. He entered the bookstore, walking almost robotically to the register. Sasuke was no where to be seen.

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There you have it. The time I take writing chapters of this will probably be a bit more spread out from now on because of school.. Sorry guys. And everyone said they'd be alright with a lemon, so expect one later in the story. :D  
I really need a beta to read over my rough drafts, too.. So message me or comment or do what you want if you might be interested in claiming the job. Also, if you have any requests for fanfictions, tell me, okee?  
Last thing- If anyone went to/is going to ACen or Reactor cons in Illinois this year, tell me.  
Byebyee


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys... I'm so sorry for the lack of update. Yes, I've been very busy, and I'm really, really sorry. I'll update faster from now on.. Just to let you know, I have not abandoned this story. I'm gonna stick with it 'till it's over.  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. I do own some lovely knee-high rainbow socks, though. Everyone should have a pair. xD

* * *

It was Saturday night, and Gaara sat in his room, staring out the window into the ally. It was dark, and, his window being open, he could hear the sounds of the city float through the air. He didn't bother to turn his music on; listening to police sirens and traffic sounds seemed to be enough tonight. 

In his hand he held Sasuke's number. He didn't look at it. In reality, he was terrified of calling it... Yes, he considered Sasuke a friend, but when was the last time he had called someone besides Temari or Kankuro? His laptop was open in front of him; He was online. But Sasuke wasn't. Gaara had typed in the screename six or seven times, just in case he had misspelled it. But this was in vain, for when he did it, the screen remained blank. No one came online. He stared at the computer screen, eyes unblinking, trying to decide just what to do. Then, he flipped open his cell phone and dialed the number Sasuke had written down before his mind could decide against it.

He listened. Ring.. Ring... Ring... A woman's voice came onto the line. "Hello. Unfortunately, the wireless caller you are trying to reach is not available at the moment. If you'd like to leave a message, please-" Click. Gaara hung up. Like hell he was going to leave a message; his heart raced at the very thought of it. But why hadn't Sasuke answered in the first place? He bit his lip, a sinking feeling taking over the thump of his heart. Maybe.. Sasuke didn't even want to talk to him anymore? He hadn't shown up at work since Gaara had last seen him. Maybe the guy didn't want anything to do with him.. Maybe this was a fake screename, and the number was probably a made-up one..

He shook his head gently, standing up. Of course not. Sasuke was just busy was all. Maybe he didn't have his phone with him...

Gaara pulled on a jacket, walking out the bedroom door, not bothering to shut down his laptop. No.. Sasuke wouldn't do that. Or would he...? Was he only using Gaara as a form of entertainment, toying with his emotions for fun? Or was he just busy? In trouble? Gone?

He walked out the apartment door. Kankuro, who was sitting on the couch, didn't bother to say anything to him as he left. Gaara walked down the hall, then down the stairs, then out of the building, listening to the echo of his footsteps in the barren area. He didn't stop walking when he got outside, just continued moving in the direction of the park. His body felt as though it was moving on his own, and he stared blankly ahead, unable to erase the thought of his loved one, whose name had been stained permanently into his mind.

Entering the park, he moved mechanically to the place where he had seen Sasuke and Sakura. It seemed like such a long time ago. He couldn't even remember the exact date of the incident. When was it, a week ago? A month ago? A day ago...?

Gaara's steps faltered as he stared ahead. Sasuke was sitting there, right where Gaara had seen him that night with Sakura. He was unmoving, staring down at the park floor, hands clasped together. He didn't seem to notice the younger boy watching him. Gaara moved on ahead without thought. A streak of fear, for whatever reason, was telling him to turn around, telling him that Sasuke didn't want to be bothered, but Gaara's body wouldn't listen to the internal voice. He stopped when he was about two yards from the raven-haired teen, staring at him.

Sasuke didn't make any sign of moving. But Gaara could see his eyes- They were staring blankly down at the pavement of the park, emotion drained from the black voids. Gaara stared at him for a minute. What had happened? Opening his mouth, he was about to say something, but Sasuke surprised him by looking up, eyes suddenly sharp and startled. "Oh.. Hey." Sasuke said quietly. He shifted his stare down to pavement once more. Gaara blinked. "Hi." He replied. There was a silence, and neither said a word for what seemed like a decade. Gaara broke it. "I called you."

With that, Sasuke looked up. "You did?" And when Gaara nodded, he continued. "My phone went dead." Gaara stared for a minute, sensing that this was, in fact, a lie. "Oh." He said awkwardly in response. Sasuke nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah."

Another long silence. Why was this so weird? Gaara had been getting used to talking to Sasuke before, but it seemed different now. A little like when Gaara first talked to Sasuke, but now the raven-haired boy seemed a whole lot more.. Insecure.

Sasuke moved his hand, motioning for Gaara to sit down. The red-haired boy obliged, sitting next to Sasuke, who glanced over before looking back down. "My phone isn't really dead." Gaara nodded. "I figured." He wanted to ask what exactly was up, because Sasuke seemed a whole lot more uncomfortable than usual. Less... collected. But he said nothing, just waited for the other to continue. "I knew it was probably you, I didn't recognize the number, but I didn't want to pick it up."

Gaara didn't speak. Sasuke kept going, but this time, it wasn't about cell phones. "I went to see my brother this weekend." Gaara blinked, unable to stay stoic. He had no idea that Sasuke had a brother. In fact, he knew very little of Sasuke's personal life at all.. But he wasn't sure what he expected- Of course, the older teen was too young to live on his own, but Gaara couldn't really picture him living with two happy parents and a pet dog, either. Sasuke seemed to sense a question coming and answered before it could be asked. "He's in a mental ward. If I want to live alone, visiting him is something I have to do. The government makes me."

So he DID live alone. Gaara digested the sentence, then, without thinking, asked what first came to mind. "Why's he in a mental ward?" Oh, bad choice. Sasuke flinched, then looked away, not replying. Damn it. Gaara felt like an idiot, who the hell would ask that? Obviously Sasuke didn't want to talk about it...

The silence continued, and Gaara decided to shut up, not wanting to strike anymore nerves. After a little while, Sasuke glanced over. "He killed my parents." The shock must've been obvious on Gaara's face, because Sasuke smirked; But the red-head could tell that he was upset underneath the cool exterior. "Hey. You asked, you know." Gaara nodded faintly. He DID ask, that was true enough. He just couldn't imagine having to visit the one who killed your parents, especially if it were a sibling. It was just terrible.. But... In a way, he could relate. His parents were dead, too.

He was about to mention this, but decided against it. He had said to much on the subject already; Changing the subject is what seemed ideal right about now. "W-why didn't you pick up your phone?" He asked, stuttering, unsure of the answer. "I guess I was scared." Sasuke whispered under his breath. Gaara thought it over without a word. "I don't know why. I just.. I was just scared. So I came here. Somehow, I knew you would be here." He was looking directly at Gaara now, and the red-head blushed faintly, nodding. "You were right." He didn't look over at the other boy, but stared at the path he had come down to get here instead. They were the only ones in the park.. And somehow, it seemed so quiet here, so peaceful, even though they were in the middle of the city. Why didn't he come here more often? The thought of it danced around his mind, but when he turned to comment on the soundless-ness of this small haven, Sasuke leaned forward and planted his lips against Gaara's.

The red-head's heart skipped a beat. His mind went completely blank, and he clenched his fist by his side. Holy SHIT, Sasuke was kissing him... What the hell was he to do? Then he remembered. When someone kisses you, you should kiss back...

So that's what he did; He shut his eyes and kissed Sasuke, matching him. And it felt as if he was in heaven, though he was really sitting in a cold park in the middle of a lit-up city. His mind drifted away, and it felt like he had been here for hours instead of seconds with his lips pushed up against Sasuke's. But suddenly, Sasuke pulled away, and Gaara opened his eyes at the absence of the other boy, staring at him, mouth hanging open in surprise. He was thrown back into reality.

The raven-haired teen was staring back at him, and Gaara could see a small blush forming on his cheeks. Why had he pulled away? Sasuke looked into his bright eyes, mouth trying to form the right words. "Sasuke...?" Gaara asked, expression unchanging. Sasuke shook his head. "No, I can't do this.." Gaara continued staring at him, though question passed through his eyes. Oh god, why the hell had he kissed back? He was so stupid... "It's just that.. Sakura.." Sasuke started. Gaara interrupted. "Oh." Of course. Sakura. Sasuke still liked her, he saw that now. How could he be such an idiot to think that the older boy would be over her so quickly? Standing up suddenly, Gaara jerked his gaze away from Sasuke's. "I... I'm sorry..." He whispered, before turning around and walking briskly out of the park. Sasuke didn't call out for him to return, nor did he come after Gaara. He sat, watching the younger teen depart.

When Gaara felt something run down his cheek, he realized he was crying. And when his breath caught in his throat, it came in mind that he was running. And when his body began to shake and his clothes became drenched, he found that rain was pouring from the sky. He didn't bother looking back.

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There, chapter 6. Sorry it's so short. xx  
Just to let you know, I'm still open to any requests for fanfictions. I'll get to them whenever I can. 


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone. Sorry for the not-updating. I suck, I know. x3  
Reactor was great, by the way.. I was there a few days ago. :D  
Gaara goes sort of crazy in theis chapter.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.. Not the characters in this story or anything cool at all..

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The next few weeks crept by, slow as ever. Gaara avoided Sasuke like the plague; when the raven-haired teen attempted to approach him, he would blurt out some excuse and turn in the opposite direction, moving away as fast as he could. Sasuke seemed to know the reason, though, and didn't attempt to follow Gaara anywhere. 

But it was hurting him- Gaara, that is. He wanted to love Sasuke, he wanted to be loved by Sasuke.. But with Sakura in ( more or less ) the picture, that goal seemed like a distant one. Sasuke was still attached to her, and that was that. Nonetheless, Gaara couldn't get over this predicament. After work, he would go straight to his room, not stopping at all to speak with his siblings. When one of them attempted to stop him, he snapped at them, and he only came out for food.

Gaara had, in fact, convinced himself that he was worthless. If Sasuke didn't want Gaara, then there was nothing left for him. He would think about these problems all night long, trying to concoct a plan around them, but it was all in vain. The only company he had was Temari's little cat, Shrimp, who would push his door open and sit in his lap, purring, waiting for praise or a pat on the head.

But one day when he was coming home from work, Temari stopped him the instant he set foot in the door. There was no one with her today- A surprising change, since she usually had to work extra to get the ever-raising rent money. Gaara blinked, but remained stoic, waiting for Temari to clear out of the way. She didn't. "Gaara, what's up?" She asked softly, staring down at him. He raised an eyebrow, then shrugged as he replied, once again trying to find away around his older sister. "Nothing."

She didn't buy it. "Obviously something's up. You've been moping around for the past two weeks; why won't you tell me?" Kankuro was watching the conversation from the couch. He tried to make it seem as though he didn't care about what the two were saying, but he would glance over every so often, and it was quite obvious he was listening.

Gaara replied quickly once more. "I said nothing, okay?" He snapped, pushing past her, kicking off his shoes. Right as he was about to turn the corner, she said something that stopped him dead in his tracks. "I know there's something wrong... I saw it in your journal."

Freezing, then turning slowly, Gaara stared at Temari in obvious shock. His mouth hung open slightly, and, when he managed to snap his eyes away from her, he immediately began fumbling with the snap on his messenger bag, hoping that Temari, for some sick reason, was creating a joke to fool with his mind. But sure enough, his journal was gone. Damn it, why hadn't he noticed?

Backing away, he turned down the hall without a second glance at his sister, fleeing into his room and slamming the door behind him. He stood, there, panting, staring at the clutter around his room. Then, he threw his bag to the ground. In a rush of anger, he stormed over to his drawers, grabbing a picture of Temari, him, and Kankuro, and throwing it against the opposite wall with a scream. The glass of the frame shattered, and he made his way over to the remains of the photo, picking it up. He didn't notice that tears were falling down his face; the only thing he could think about was how much he hated his siblings right now. They didn't care about him. If they cared, they would have gotten more responsible jobs. If they cared, they wouldn't have gone through his things. If they cared, they would leave him alone.

He was clutching the picture in his hand now, and when he looked down, he saw blood from the glass dripping down his fingers. His heart still racing, this little injury only fueled his anger, and it sent him into a fury. He began throwing and destroying everything he could get his hands on, releasing the stress that had built itself up inside of him. When he swung his bleeding fist at the wall and felt the drywood break underneath the power, he stopped, backing away, breathing heavily. He fell in a slump to the ground, crying into his bleeding hands, ignoring the knocking at his door and the frantic calls from Temari to unlock the door. Soon, he heard Kankuro's voice along with Temari's harsher one, and both of them disappeared.

Gaara was alone. He sat there, in the same position, for a while longer, trying to take in what he had just done. He looked around the ruins of his room, standing up shakily and walking over to his closet. In front of it lay a smashed picture of his parents, along with Kankuro , Temari, and him. It was taken when they went to the beach a long time ago.. Gaara remembered it vividly. The laughter of them together as a family, the rolling of waves, the smell of the salt water. He never went to the beach now. It was as though the pain of reality had sucked the youth from him, turning him into a cold being without a cause in the world.

A meow snapped him out of his dream-like state, and he looked forward at the closet door. Reaching towards the knob, he opened it; and Shrimp pattered out, peering up at him with his bright eyes. The little creature looked around the room. Anyone else would have found it disgusting.. Not Shrimp. He was so accepting. Gaara bent down and picked the kitten up, carrying him over to his bed and setting him down, sitting on the mattress as well. He bit his lip, breathing shakily and staring out the window up at the cloudy sky, watching as rain fell against the glass pane. Shrimp had curled himself into a ball in Gaara's lap, and for a while. The Sabaku boy only had to listen to the gentle patter of rain on the roof and the purr of the kitten. Then, the peace was broken by a knock on the door.

Gaara said nothing, and he heard the sound of someone picking the lock. Whoever it was opened the door. Kankuro stepped in, looking around the place with a look of surprise, but he quickly replaced it with a soft smile. "You did a number on this place, huh?" He asked. Gaara shrugged and looked out the window again. "Lemme help you with that." Kankuro had sat down on the bed and pulled a roll of bandaging from his oversized pocket. Obviously, he had seen the blood on the hole Gaara punched through the wall, and came prepared. Gently, he started cleaning Gaara's hand up, then wrapped it with bandage, tying it tightly. Gaara said nothing. He stared down at the kitten in his lap, watching the gentle movement of the animal's rising chest.

Kankuro didn't bother starting conversation for a while. Shrimp eventually woke up and started padding back and forth between them, looking for a scratch behind the ear. Kankuro pet him gently, then finally said what he came in the room for. "You know, Temari was only trying to help you."

Gaara was silent for a minute, then he shrugged. "Yeah. Sure." Kankuro sighed. "She doesn't like seeing you like this. Neither do I."

Gaara nodded, brushing off the stroke of pity he had been granted. Kankuro let out another sigh. "Just think about it, okay? I get why you're depressed and all, but you shouldn't have lashed out at her. She wants to help." Gaara nodded. "Yeah." Kankuro stood up before continuing. "She wanted me to tell you that Sakura recently got a job at the place she works. You know, at that club. She said you could probably figure out the real job." Gaara nodded slowly, and, with a bit of hesitance, Kankuro left the room.

So Sakura was working at the strip club. She really was a whore...

Gaara must have fallen asleep, because he was pulled from a dreamland about his parents when the blaring sound of a cel lphone ringing filled his ears. Drearily, he picking it up, bringing the device up to his ear. "Hello?" He said with a yawn, staring out at the clearing-up sky. "Hey."

Gaara froze. "S-sasuke?"

"That's what they call me."

"Y-yeah... hey."

Sasuke got straight to the point. "Why have you been avoiding me, Gaara?"

Gaara blushed, and, even though he knew Sasuke couldn't see him, he felt the embarrassment. "I don't know.."

"You obviously know."

Gaara swallowed gently. "Maybe it's because you want to be with Sakura."

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, and then Sasuke continued. "So you avoid me?"

More silence. Then, Gaara let out his reply in a small voice. "Yes."

Sasuke sighed. "Gaara.. I'm sorry, okay? I was having problems getting over her. Maybe I still am; I don't really know. But either way, she isn't going to stop us from being friends."

Gaara flinched at that. He didn't want Sasuke as just a friend. He wanted more than that. Scolding himself in his mind for his self-centered-ness, he piped up. "Y-yeah. I know. Sorry."

"Don't be." Came Sasuke's reply. "Just.. Stop avoiding me, alright? I still want to be your friend."

"O-okay."

"See you later than. Bye." And then, there was a click, and Sasuke's voice was gone.

Gaara watched as Sasuke's number flashed a few more times before the screen flicked back to his wallpaper. He stared at it for a little while before shutting the phone.

Looks like it was back to square one.

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So chyeah. Well. umm.. Lets see. Any suggestions for Gaara or Sasuke's screenames online? That's all I need right now. x3 Send suggestions in messages or reviews. 3


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello guys, hope you had a good Halloween :D I still haven't decided which screenames to use yet, so keep sending them, they are really a big help. If yours happens to get chosen... Well, we'll figure something out. But you'll get something. x3 So yes, chapter 8... I added a bunch of background characters from the show, see if you can spot them.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. But I own... A packet of Cod. Yes. COD.**

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Waking up, Gaara looked around his room. It was trashed. Memories from the previous day filled his mind, and he did his best to banish them, crawling out of bed. He was still in his day clothes... He groaned as he realized he had work on this particular day. It wasn't that he didn't like his job, per se... It was more like he didn't want to face Sasuke after the little conversation they had had on the phone the night before.

Gaara pushed himself off the edge of the bed, rubbing his hair and eyes, then heading towards the bathroom. He would take a shower, just like any normal day. If he was going to face Sasuke, he was going to look good; not like he had just rolled in from off the streets.

He turned on the shower and stepped in before the water got hot, letting the cold-ness of the liquid spill over his body, waking him up with a shock effect. As the water grew warmer, he sighed gently, watching condensation collect on the glass walls of the shower.

When he heard the door open, he promptly rubbed a circle in the fog so as to see who was intruding. Kankuro's face, heavy with eye makeup, peered back at him. "Hey. Cleaned this for you."

His brother said, holding up his work uniform. He had obviously attempted doing the laundry and failed at it miserably, because the shirt and pants were heavily wrinkled, and there were wet spots at the hems as though Kankuro had taken them out of the dryer a little to soon. But, nonetheless, Gaara showed a weak smile. "Thanks... Now get out." Laughing, Kankuro turned to leave, making some obscure joke about Gaara's (lower) body before shutting the door.

Sighing, Gaara stepped out of the shower, drying himself off and slipping into his work uniform. It was uncomfortable, but that fact would have to go unnoticed, because Gaara was late enough as it was. He stepped out of the bathroom, walking down the hall. Kankuro, as usual, was at his spot on the couch. Temari was gone.

Giving a small wave to his brother, Gaara left with his messenger bag in hand, leaving the apartment building and going in his usual direction to the book store. He watched as people passed by him, chatting with friends, drinking coffee, or shoving past others; the city was alive, everyone had their own agenda.

As he was daydreaming about people's lives, Gaara came to a halt in front of Starbuck's. It was habitual, still, even after all the time he had spent not going into the store. He stared in through the window of the shop. There was a new worker in place of Sasuke; a blonde teen who was enthusiastically handing cups of coffee to tired costumers, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Gaara let himself take in his loved one's replacement before starting to walk again, hesitantly, still watching the teen in the window. Then, the moment passed, another minute of the day. He would forget about it soon enough; there were more important things to worry about, such as the bookstore he was approaching.

He entered, the ring of the welcome bell chiming through the store. He was a little late- Costumers were milling about, and the café was swamped with business men and college students who didn't want to wait online at Starbucks. He walked over to his usual spot at the cash register. There was only one other register open, and it was being manned by a new employee with red eyeliner and a doggish face, who seemed to be struggling with a few keys on the register.

When Gaara sat down, a flock of customers from the line immediately came over to him for their check-out. Then, they were gone. Gaara glanced over at the new person, who was trying to sort the money in the cash register. He opened up quietly. "...Do you want help?" The new employee glanced up. "Huh? Oh, hey, sure, if you wanna help someone like me."

Gaara didn't quite get what the boy meant by 'someone like me', and shrugged, pushing himself off the seat and walking over. "You were pressing the wrong key- You push this one after you calculate the amount." And with that, he pushed the key, and the register popped open. The boy hurriedly put the money in. "...Thanks." "Yeah." Gaara replied quietly. He turned to leave, but was interrupted. "I'm Kiba, by the way." Gaara glanced over, making eye-contact. "I'm Gaara." And with that, he went and sat down. Until mid-day, it went on like that- Kiba would mess up with the keys on the register or give the incorrect amount of change, and Gaara would be there to help. Near lunch break, he was helping Kiba with a gift card when someone interrupted him.

"Hey." Gaara looked up at the sound of the voice, a shiver running down his spine. Sasuke was standing there coolly, watching him, and sending an occasional look of suspicion over at Kiba, who was to distracted by the customer in front of him and the gift card to notice.

Gaara looked down, scratching something out from under his black-painted fingernail and biting his lip. "Hi." He felt Sasuke's eyes on him, and pretended not to notice. This was.. Awkward, to say the least. "You wanna go to that café again?"

Gaara thought about last time. He thought about the waitress of the place, and he remembered how he had been staring at people's shoes as they walked by outside. It was a nice enough place, but... Alone with Sasuke? Could he really start thinking Sasuke wanted something more than friendship?

"Hey." Gaara looked up, torn away from his thoughts. "You coming or not?" The first thing that came to mind slipped from Gaara's mouth. "Y-yeah. Okay." Well, there was no turning back now. He walked away from Kiba, who cast a fleeting glance at the departing before the customer in front of him snapped and he continued his attempt at working a gift card.

Sasuke led Gaara out onto the street before turning around completely to look at him. "Who was that?" Gaara looked around, expecting someone to be there as an object of excuse. "Wait... Who?" He asked, seeing no one but the bustling people of the city. Sasuke bit his lip, then pointed at the door to the bookstore. "That guy... In there." Gaara couldn't help but to think he heard a slight hint of jealousy in Sasuke's voice. But... Could Sasuke even FEEL jealousy? It didn't seem like something he would feel... No, this was just a trick of the mind. "Kiba?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Is he a friend of yours?" Gaara shrugged, turning to walk. "He's new, I was helping him." "Oh." Sasuke's voice dripped with the unmistakable sound of sadness. Was it really jealousy Gaara was sensing? Why would Sasuke be jealous over HIM?

In an attempt to brush the thought away, he started watching the cars drive by on the road. They walked in silence; Sasuke had gotten ahead and was leading, and Gaara simply followed, waiting for whatever was to come. It certainly wasn't just a stop by the coffee shop, that was for sure.

When they did eventually reach the shady place, though, Sasuke held the door open for Gaara, letting him step into the smoky room, then getting a table for two. Their waiter was a bored-looking boy with a spiky pony-tail type thing sticking out of the back of his head. He asked what they wanted, staring out the window above their table at the blue-grey sky, mind obviously elsewear.

Sasuke ordered two sodas, and both him and Gaara sat in silence while they waited for their small order to be fulfilled. The waiter came back, putting the sodas down and walking away without another word, yawning as he entered the back room. Gaara watched him go, then looked down at the cola in front of him. He took the straw inn his hand, sipping out of it quietly. Damn it, why the hell wasn't Sasuke saying anything?

As if on cue, Sasuke opened his mouth. "Listen, about yesterday." Gaara glanced up to show he was listening, then returned his gaze to the lowering-level of soda in the glass.

"Sorry."

Gaara looked up full-on this time. "Sorry? For what?"

"I don't know." Sasuke said, leaning back and looking out the window. "For acting like a stupid heartbroken loser. I should know better than to be hurt over Sakura ditching me. But I don't know... I've known her since I was a kid. I guess I still trust her, in a way, even though I shouldn't."

"Ah." Gaara replied, sipping from his soda once more. His heart was racing, though he kept the stoic expression on his face for good measure. He didn't want to hear that Sasuke still TRUSTED that girl. Why the hell would he? "It's... okay." He mumbled.

Sasuke stared at him for a minute before sighing. "Don't sound so hesitant."

Gaara shrugged, looking down at the seat and picking at a loose seam of the plasticy material. "I guess I just don't see why you would still trust her after what she did to you, is all."

Sasuke nodded, and smiled weakly, looking down at the table. "I don't see why, either."

"Than..." Gaara started.

"It's just.. She didn't used to be like that. She used to be... I don't know. She would be with me all the time; Always there. But then she just started disappearing and she would never tell me where she was going."

Gaara stopped, then nodded, trying to be as sympathetic towards Sasuke as possible. This is what he wanted all along, right? He wanted Sasuke to talk to him and be friends with him and share his problems. Yes, that's part of what he wanted.

"Sorry."

Gaara looked up. "What are you sorry for now?"

Sasuke raised his shoulders, then let them fall. "Making you listen to all of this crap."

"Oh. It's okay... I'm here... To listen, I guess." Gaara replied, trying to find the right words.

"Heh... I'll keep that in mind."

It fell silent for a while, and Gaara watched the feet pass from the sidewalk above, just as he did last time. Sasuke tore into the silence. "You're... a really good friend, you know, Gaara."

Gaara looked over from the window. "Oh...? Thanks. So are you."

"No, I mean... You're a REALLY good friend."

Gaara froze. What was Sasuke implying? "S-so are you."

"Gaara..." Sasuke sighed, then leaned across the table, pushing his forhead against Gaara's and looking him square in the eye. "Do you like me?"

"Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I...?" Gaara asked. He felt his face burning with heat, and he knew he was blushing.

"I mean... Do you REALLY like me?"

Gaara replied to the question with a slight nod, staring into Sasuke's dark eyes. Then, he saw Sasuke lean in a little further, and felt the older teen's lips on his. Though he knew it to be rude, Gaara kept his eyes open in surprise, and soon enough, he kissed back. It seemed that when Sasuke pulled away, the time had been to short. "I'm sure that didn't bother you, then."

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**There you go  
If you want to see anymore characters randomly thrown in here, feel free to tell me, I'll somehow work them in. Keep sending in screename ideas for Sasuke and Gaara**


	9. Chapter 9

Hey people! I'M SO SORRY. I'm a horrible fanfiction-er. xx I know this is short, I'm sorry. I know it's late, I'm sorry. Sorry, sorry. But... Well, I think the next one after this might be the last chapter. Thanks for all your reading, guys... And for putting up with me. Thank yooou 3

I don't kwn any of the characters... But I do own... An... Elephant. Yes. An elephant.

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The next weeks went by faster than ever. True, Sasuke and Gaara didn't share anymore kisses, but they were always together. Wherever Sasuke was, Gaara was. Wherever Gaara was, Sasuke was. Except for at his house.

Now, he didn't feel the need to actually SEE Sasuke's house. Something like that shouldn't matter, right? But he was just... curious. Since Sasuke lived alone, he was curious about his living environment. But he didn't dare ask to be invited over, considering the fact that he had never had Sasuke over at HIS house, either. But Gaara wanted that to change.

They had gone to the small café at lunch, just as always. But today, Gaara had a question. As he sipped his soda, he stared out the window at the different shoes walking by. Something he hadn't done in quite a while.

Sasuke gave him a quizzical look. He leaned back in the booth and yawned, casually popping a question. "So what's on your mind?"

Gaara looked up from his soda, an expression of confusion swallowing his face. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke shrugged. "You're... quiet today. You're always quiet, but today you aren't even looking at me."

Gaara smiled a little, then raised his shoulder and let them fall. "I guess..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You guess what?"

"I guess I just have a question is all."

Sasuke laughed a little. "So ask me. I'll answer; don't I always?"

Gaara bit his lip, then looked up. "Will you come over to my house?" He blurted out. Why was that such a big thing? It wasn't. It was going over to someone's house. But he thought maybe Sasuke would get the wrong impression.

Sasuke hesitated, wondering why this was such a big deal for Gaara. "Sure, why not? How about after work?"

Gaara nodded, though, still embarrassed, he returned to staring down at his light-colored soda.

Sasuke seemed to understand it all, and let it pass. They left the café and returned to work shortly after.

Gaara was getting nervous. His house wasn't exactly CLEAN... But since he had been thinking about asking Sasuke over, he had cleaned his room. It was a good start. But right when you walked in the door, it looked like there was a hobo laying on their couch. He couldn't exactly tell Kankuro to move- The guy was to lazy to get up.

Gaara met up with Sasuke after work, just as they always did. But instead of Sasuke turning to go to his own house, he followed Gaara. Gaara hadn't expected to start stuttering out of nervous-ness like he used to, but apparently, God hated him.

"S-so, uh, sorry if it's a little unclean..."

Sasuke let out a laugh. "Stop stuttering. I don't care if it's unclean, you should know that."

Gaara, a little reassured, led Sasuke into the shabby apartment building, then up the cement stairs; The elevator wasn't working. Sasuke said nothing as they entered a long hall, which Gaara walked down, perturbed. He knocked on the door of the apartment after finding it locked. He heard a click, and then opened the door.

Kankuro was returning to the couch, but he looked up when they came in. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Kankuro stared, then laughed. "Heeey, Uchiha. What are you doing with my little brother?"

Sasuke stared a good long while, then shrugged. "Who knows?"

Gaara was downright confused, and let the emotion come into words. "Umm... Kankuro, how do you know-"

Kankuro replied before Gaara could finish the sentence. "Well, he's one of my best customers, always coming to–"

This time, Kankuro was interrupted. "We're friends. That's all." He gave a sharp look over at Gaara's brother.

Gaara stared at both of them, still addled. First of all, what was Kankuro talking about... Best customer? And he wasn't an expert or anything, but apparently, that girl Sakura had been cheating on both of these guys. So shouldn't they hate each other or something?

Kankuro seemed to sense the tension in the room. "...Yeah. Just friends. Gaara, go show Sasuke your room or something..."

Gaara, perplexed, obliged. He led Sasuke down the hall, now slightly suspicious about everything. They walked past Temari's room ( Thank god she wasn't home. ) and into the kitchen, walking through it and entering his own room. He showed Sasuke inside.

All of the clothes had since been removed from the floor and the bed was made. Shrimp was sleeping, curled up in a ball, on his pillow. His room actually looked... Normal. For once. The cracked frame containing his family's picture was sitting on his wooden dresser. Sasuke glanced at it, but Gaara said nothing. Instead, he walked over to the bed, then started petting Shrimp on the head, not looking at Sasuke.

"So yeah... This is my room." He said, scratching behind the kitten's ears. "This is Shrimp. My sister Temari brought him home one day and now he doesn't come out of my room." He was rambling now, not sure of what to say or do.

Sasuke was just staring around at his room. Gaara was finding it hard to name the expression on the Uchiha's face. Was there something WRONG with his room? He sure as hell hoped not.

"So... Uh... Like I said, sorry about it being so messy and stuff, We don't have much time for cleaning."

"No, it's fine. I like it. It's comfortable." Sasuke said . Gaara was surprised when the older boy came over to his bed, sitting down next to him. "Yeah. Comfortable."

Gaara laughed, just a little, not really sure of what to say. He felt Sasuke's arm touch his, and an uncontrollable shiver was sent down his spine. He blushed.

At the site of Gaara blushing, Sasuke couldn't help himself. Why did the red-head have to be so damn cute? "Gaara..."

Gaara looked over, making eye contact. His heart raced.

"Can I kiss you?"

And with that, Gaara nodded, quite sincerely. And Sasuke leaned in, pushing his lips against the younger teen's. Within seconds, he was on top of Gaara, and their kisses became rougher. Gaara let his mouth open, and their tongues collided.

None of them heard the footsteps coming towards the room. And when the door behind them opened, they both jerked backwards, staring at each other in either fright from being caught or surprise at what they just did.

There was a howl of laughter from the door, and Sasuke turned, Gaara sat up. Kankuro stood there, laughing. "What the HELL, get OUT Kankuro!" Gaara shouted. Kankuro only continues to laugh, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Soon enough, Temari, who had apparantly come home, crept out of her room.

"What's going on..." She mumbled. It seemed as though she had just woken up. She peered over Kankuro's shoulder, and quickly blushed and turned away. "OH. Kankuro, give them some PRIVACY, honestly!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Kankuro said between laughs. As he was closing the door, he let out a call. "Have FUN, you guys. Not to rough on my little brother, huh Sasuke? He IS still a virgin."

With that, Gaara picked up a pillow, throwing it at the door just as Kankuro shut it. They heard more howls of laughter as Gaara's older brother mad his way back to the couch.

Both Gaara and Sasuke were blushing furiously now. Needless to say, they would go elsewear to do such things in the future...

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Thank you for reading, once again. Next chapter will probably be the last. 3 


	10. Chapter 10

Hey you guys  
Um. Yeah. I never ever update, so when someone threatened to put my head on a pike, I kinda thought... "Maybe I should update." I'm also extendinf the story by one chapter, and I'm not sure if I'm gonna use any screenames, after all. Sorry sorry sorry to those who submitted 'em, because now I feel bad. xx All your suggestions were awesome, though! I'm still open for any and all requests for fanfictions, even if they aren't Naruto. Keep that in mind.

I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in here. I don't own anything. Not even a liver.

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The next day was a Saturday. Gaara woke up at the blaring sound of his alarm clock. The other one, which had been broken, played a continuous beep, a terrible noise that delved into his mind, penetrating his dreams. This new one, which he was borrowing from Kankuro, simply turned on the morning radio station.

"Good morning, City of Hi–" He slammed his hand on the snooze button before the man's voice could continue and tell him the weather or traffic report, and, just as he was drifting back to sleep, he remembered why the hell he had set the clock in the first place. Today, he was meeting Sasuke at the park. And hopefully, he would get a look in on the other teen's home.

Scrambling out of bed and pulling the plug of his alarm, he walked over to his closet, unsure of what to wear. Maybe he'd wear a shirt and pants. So very original... But however original it was, that was what he went with- He pulled on a black t-shirt and a baggy pair of jeans, slipping a studded belt through the holes, then looking around the room for his eyeliner. When he found it, he darkened the rings around his eyes, then tossed the stick onto his dresser carelessly, walking out the door without picking up a jacket.

He stopped mid-way down the hall when he heard a muffled groan from Kankuro's room. Damn it, he had forgotten that his older siblings were still home... So he began sneaking, quiet as a ghost, until he got out into the dingy hall of the apartment building. With a sigh of relief, he continued on his way, going down the eerie cement stairwell and exiting the building. Kankuro and Temari... they wouldn't care if he was gone. But after what they had seen of him and Sasuke not too long ago, they might ask questions. It was good to get out before they realized it.

Because in the end, they'd get distracted by their own lives, and would forget all about Gaara's daily-doings.

Despite it being around seven in the morning, the city bustled with life. In the rush to get to the park, Gaara trailed in and out of street traffic, ignoring the loud honks of the angry taxi drivers as he went on. The teenager didn't have time to stop and apologize for such stupid things. He hopped up onto a familiar pavement sidewalk and ran his hand along the black iron fence bars of the park, looking through them to try and see if he could spot Sasuke before turning into the park. Walking down the path, he dodged a few morning joggers before setting eyes on the bench.

It was the bench where he would always meet Sasuke; though, for once in his life, it seemed as though he had gotten there first. When he scanned the park for the Uchiha, he was no where in sight. So all he could do now was sit... And wait.

The bench was cool from the morning weather. It was about 60 degrees, and he shivered a little. He should have brought a coat. But... Oh well. The sun was attempting to penetrate the few clouds that hovered up in the blue sky, and, for the mean-time, it would have to do in keeping him warm. Gaara let out a sigh.

Even though it was completely stupid, he couldn't help but worry about Sasuke. Sometimes, he felt like he was worrying too much, even though he rarely showed it. But, of course, he was being completely sensible. Maybe. Gaara's mind wandered back to the day before, when he and Sasuke had first entered the apartment.

_Kankuro was returning to the couch, but he looked up when they came in. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Kankuro stared, then laughed. "Heeey, Uchiha. What are you doing with my little brother?"_

_Sasuke stared a good long while, then shrugged. "Who knows?"_

_Gaara was downright confused, and let the emotion come into words. "Umm... Kankuro, how do you know-"_

_Kankuro replied before Gaara could finish the sentence. "Well, he's one of my best customers, always coming to–"_

_This time, Kankuro was interrupted by Sasuke. "We're friends. That's all." _

'Friends', Sasuke had said. But is that really all they were? Gaara thought over Kankuro's un-finished sentence. He was going to say something. But what had he said in the first place? Gaara shook his head, getting mixed up in his own thoughts. He couldn't even remember anymore; at the time, he had been so baffled that Kankuro even KNEW his brother. Now, he was puzzled.

Kankuro did a lot of things. He worked at a goth clothes store that also sold music, and sometimes worked half-time as a mover in a feeble attempt to get more money into the... "family". But he also had a job as a drug dealer that Gaara wasn't supposed to know about. But, in reality, Kankuro was only kidding himself. How could Gaara NOT know, honestly? The strangers that came up to their apartment couldn't just be 'friends', as he called them. They were customers, just as he had called Sasuke the day before.

Gaara came to a startled conclusion. Either Sasuke was a fan of chain pants and underground bands, or he was using. Biting his lip, he knew it had to be the second one. He'd never seen Sasuke wear chained pants in his life.

"Why the serious face?"

At the sound of the voice, Gaara quickly looked up. There stood Sasuke, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and dark blue jeans, eyebrow raised in a questioning manner. Gaara gaped at him for a while. He had literally no clue as to what to say, having just figured out that Sasuke was buying drugs from his brother.

"S-sasuke..." He said, trying to find the words to ask him about it. If he didn't ask him right now, he would never ask him. It would stay, lurking, in the back of his mind, and he would be too scared to pull it out. "Are you on drugs?"

A genuinely surprised look came over Sasuke's face, and he put a hand behind his head, scratching it in an attempt to look casual.

"And... Can I ask where the fuck you got that idea from?" His voice was steady, but cracked near the end in a sort of angry tone as he dropped his arm to his side.

Gaara winced, sensing the answer from Sasuke's surprised, but harsh, reply. "So... you really..."

Sasuke shook his head. "Stop. I asked where you got that idea from. Did Kankuro tell you something? Because whatever the hell he said, it isn't true." He sounded so rushed in his reply that Gaara had to stare. When had Sasuke become so defensive about things? He could honestly say he had never seen such a side of the Uchiha before. Sasuke was ALWAYS sure of himself; confident. And he had never had to defend something like he was now. Something was up.

"No. I found out on my own." Gaara said, choosing his words carefully to avoid being interrupted once more. "But are you saying you buy drugs from my brother?" He took up a hurt expression. Had he been lied to? If he had been... Whose words could he trust, if anyone's?

"Gaara, come with me."

When Sasuke turned and walked towards the park exit, Gaara could either stand up and follow, or stay here. In the end, when Sasuke had gotten far enough away and was showing no signs of coming back, he stood up, catching up to the older teen and avoiding eye-contact. Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but this time, Gaara interrupted him.

"Why didn't you TELL me? Don't you think you can tell me things? Have you just been fucking lying to me about everything this whole time?" There was only one word for what he was feeling at this moment. Hurt. How could he not? What else was everyone keeping from him?

"Gaara, you gotta listen to me, okay? Calm down and listen." Sasuke said, voice even. It sounded like he knew this was going to happen. He sounded as though he was speaking from experience. "I buy drugs from your brother. But they are NOT for me."

Gaara stared over at him, bewildered. How the hell could he even say something like that? "Oh. Of course. So you just buy drugs from my brother and distribute them to children at the park, right? Yeah. I get it." He crossed his arms, then looked away, completely pissed off. Just because Sasuke had gotten him to follow didn't mean he could make him calm down and talk normally.

People who were walking past glanced over at the arguing pair before hurrying along, none of them getting involved. Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh as a woman pulled her daughter to her other side in an attempt to get the toddler away from Sasuke, who was apparantly giving out crack to kids at the playground. "Listen, Gaara, will you just CALM DOWN? Believe me. I wouldn't touch any fucking drugs, okay? I buy them for my brother."

Gaara rolled his eyes. "You told me your brother was locked up somewhere."

"Now I'm telling you he's back."

Gaara let his arms fall to his sides before looking over, dismayed, at Sasuke. What was he to think? All signs were pointing at Sasuke being a junkie. The idea of THAT didn't bother him QUITE as much as the idea of Sasuke lying to him. And right now, it sounded like Sasuke was lying.

"Do you hear me? He's back."

Gaara bit his lip, trying to decide weather to believe the Uchiha or not. He WANTED to believe him. He really, truly did. But what could he really do?

"I don't know if I really believe you." Gaara said, looking down at the area where the sidewalk met the black road. It was filled with litter.

Sasuke was becoming exceedingly angry. With one quick movement, he snatched Gaara by the wrist gingerly and pulled him towards him, forcing the auburn-haired boy to make eye contact with him. "If you don't believe me now, you will soon." They had stopped in front of a large apartment building. It was better then the one Gaara lived in- Well kept, with plants out front that weren't weed-ridden, and it was made out of a black tile instead of crumbling brick.

Sasuke dropped Gaara's wrist and walked over to the entrance. Gaara followed reluctantly after glancing around the area to try and find out where he was. He had never been here before, and his heart was thumping uncontrollably.

The inside of the building was just as posh as the outside. The white tiles were obviously polished daily, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling in the lobby. Dark red couches surrounded a fire-place.

Gaara spotted Sasuke over by the black-doored elevators, waiting for one to pick him up. Gaara managed to make his way over to him. He was quite honestly amazed at the extent of the apartment. He hadn't thought Sasuke was THAT well off.

When the elevator doors opened, Gaara and Sasuke entered, then stood there in silence. No one would speak. It's like once they entered the elevator, they had turned mute, just as everyone seemed to do in the large moving boxes. When the small sign signaling Sasuke's chosen floor went off, they both debarked, and Sasuke led him down the hallway and stopped at a white door, opening it. It wasn't locked.

Sasuke looked around suspiciously. Things were thrown around carelessly, as though someone had been searching for something in the previously tidy room. Gaara, about to say something, was suddenly shushed by Sasuke. There were footsteps coming from the hallway.

* * *

So yeah, next chapter is last for sure. ;3 Thank you guys for reading! ( PS- Next chapter is coming out in just a few hours after this one. Because I don't update enough. And it's evil of me. ) 


	11. Chapter 11

Welcome to the last chapter! Thank you thank you thank you for reading so far. It makes me feel really special.  
I love you all!

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in this story.

* * *

Sasuke and Gaara froze, staring at the corner of the hallway, eyes wide. They were like deer caught in the headlights, unknowing of what was coming at them, and unsure of what to do next. Sasuke promptly opened the closet door where shoes and jackets were kept, ushering Gaara into it before closing it softly so his older brother wouldn't hear the noise.

Gaara sat up, surprised, then kneeled over the pairs of shoes and... beer bottles, it felt like... in the bottom of the closet. Why wasn't he allowed to meet Sasuke's brother..? A small line of light came in from a crack in the door, and Gaara peered out through the hinged area, getting a clear view of Sasuke's older brother. Why

It was surprising at how much alike they were. Itachi was around half a head taller than Sasuke, but they were practically identical. Although, next to Itachi... Sasuke somehow looked more... innocent. Itachi's tired eyes had a sort of anger to them, a craving. Gaara sensed a power to them that made shivers go down his spine. And when he saw a streak of fear running through Sasuke's dark eyes, his heart started racing.

"Oh, Itachi... I thought you were out. You k-know... You had something going on today, right..?" Sasuke wasn't looking Itachi in the eye- Avoiding it, in fact. Instead, he moved into the other room, busying himself by tidying up the mess Itachi had left. Apparantly, it was a common occurrence, because Sasuke didn't bother commenting on the broken glass and tipped drawers. He didn't need to.

Itachi was still standing outside the closet door, unmoving. He didn't look over at his younger brother working, just stared down at the ground. Gaara peered out, looking at his clothes- black pants, boots, a black and red band shirt of some sort. He was wearing such ordinary clothes, but his very presence was extraordinary, filling the room with a sense of dread.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke quickly looked up from a drawer, staring over at his brother, who had spoken his name in almost a whisper. A silence took place of the rustling in the other room, and, though Gaara couldn't see Sasuke, he knew he probably looked as scared as Gaara was feeling. Sasuke had never said more than two sentences about his brother... And he seemed so scared... What really went on in this house.

"You took them."

There was a long pause in which Itachi slowly turned his head, staring over at his younger brother. When Gaara shifted, just a little, he could see Sasuke standing there in the living room, unmoving, hardly breathing. He managed to reply, though.

"I didn't take anything, Itachi. You ran out. I didn't take anything." The look on his face showed Gaara that this was the truth. Sasuke took a step towards the drawer again, trying to act casual, putting it back in it's place. "You know I wouldn't do that to you."

Itachi turned completely towards Sasuke, then took a step towards him. "Little brother..." He whispered. Sasuke didn't look up. He raised his voice, ever so slightly. "Little brother, are you implying that I'm mistaken? Are you saying that I'm lying and you are telling the truth?"

Sasuke stared at him from his kneeling position on the ground before slowly getting up. "N-no. I was just saying that you... You used them. I haven't been here at all today, you used..." To hear Sasuke stutter the way he was made Gaara's heart beat like a rabbit's. And the expression on his face that followed, raw, unfazed fear, made his heart beat that much faster. Itachi took another few steps so that he was standing next to Sasuke, looking down at him, his face emotionless.

"I used what, Sasuke?" Itachi's voice was smooth and low; empty. Hollow. It was as though he had no life besides the drugs Gaara had now found out he was taking. Sasuke stared forward, past his brother and at the wall above the closet. "The drugs."

The moment the word left the youngest Uchiha's mouth, the older one struck. His fist made an impact just under Sasuke's rib cage, causing the boy to cough, then fall to his knees when Itachi pulled back. Gaara had to flinch at the brisk movement, feeling his body shake as Sasuke fell to the ground. Was THIS what the Uchiha had been going through?

"Now. Sasuke."

There was a muffled groan from the form on the ground. Gaara wasn't sure if it was because he was in pain, or because he just didn't want to get up and face Itachi.

"Sasuke. Stand up and look me in the eye."

Gaara watched as Sasuke slowly got to his feet, shaking as he did so, and raised his dark eyes to meet those of his older brothers. His face was burning red with shame, and his hands were held in fists at his sides.

"I did not use them all."

Sasuke slowly nodded at the simple statement that escaped his brother's mouth.

"You took them."

At that, the younger Uchiha paused, a flare of new anger flashing in his black eyes. Itachi seemed displeased at this.

"Sasuke. Did you hear me? You took them. I didn't use them. YOU took them."

The boy looked down at the ground. "Go to hell."

With that, he earned another blow. Itachi grabbed the hem of his shirt, physically lifting him a few inches from the ground and slamming him into the wall. Sasuke didn't move, just clenched his teeth, eyes shut tight. And when he still didn't reply to Itachi's statement, the older Uchiha slammed him, harder, into the wall, fists clenched around the younger boy's shirt. He was controlling himself.

Sasuke opened his dark eyes, staring down, lifelessly to the side. He didn't want to say anything. He wouldn't say anything. And when he didn't, a crazed grin came across Itachi's face. His eyes remained lifeless.

"You know, Sasuke, mother and father... They always babied you. You remember, don't you, little brother?"

Sasuke said nothing. His dark eyes closed once again, and he remained silent.

"They always seemed to be covering up the truth... You know, they never really... wanted you. I would hear them talking long after you left to bed... They hated you. You were an embarrassment to them."

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, and he glared into Itachi's eyes, hate filling the dark voids. This reaction seemed to please his older brother, for he grinned even wider.

"It seemed like such a shame to tell you. The way you looked at them with such a fond-ness. They HATED you, Sasuke, and they wanted you dead..."

Gaara, from the closet, was staring out at the scene, utterly horrified. He was quite literally stuck, and his mind was blank. He could do nothing but shake in fear of the icy voice emitting from Sasuke's older brother and clench one hand around one of the empty beer bottles in the bottom of the closet.

"Shut the fuck UP!" Sasuke had made and attempt to push Itachi off, and when he tried to kick the older man, Itachi ended up twisting his arm behind his back and pushing his chest to the ground, holding him there.

"Now, now, my dear brother, let's not get carried away." There was a break in words, and the only sound for a while was Sasuke's struggled coughs. Itachi slowly dug his nails into his brother's arms, tearing the pale skin, splattering it with a vibrant shade of crimson. Itachi then let go, and Sasuke lay there panting, out of breath. Eventually, Itachi stood up, staring down at the mass huddled on the ground.

Sasuke panted, then, when he was about to get up, Itachi kicked him, hard, in the gut, and blood dripped from his mouth and onto the platinum carpet in small droplets, seeping into it like red wine.

With his foot, Itachi kicked Sasuke so that the youngest Uchiha member was flipped onto his back. Sasuke lay there, clutching at his stomach, eyes closed and teeth gritted. Itachi's smile faded. "How pathetic. A member of the Uchiha family being taken down this easily... How pathetic. No wonder our family hated you, Sasuke. You are completely.." He gave a swift kick to Sasuke's stomach. "...And utterly..." Another kick. "Useless." For the final blow, Itachi kicked his head, and Sasuke stopped moving altogether.

Cold fear struck Gaara's body, and he felt himself gasp as he watched blood trickle from the edge of Sasuke's head. Itachi knelt down next to his brother's ear. Gaara stood, beer bottle clutched in his shaking hand, and touched the door, ready to open it. He paused and listened to Itachi whispering into his little brother's ear.

"Run and hide, Sasuke... It's the only thing you can do."

With that, Gaara pushed the closet door open, and moved like a cat to the other side of the room. Before Itachi could react, Gaara swung the glass beer bottle over the back of his head, and within seconds, he had collapsed to the ground, half-way on top of Sasuke. The room was filled with complete silence.

Gaara fell shakily to the ground, taking hold of Sasuke's limp arm and giving a tug so that Itachi's weight was shifted off of him. In that moment of dread, he touched his loved one's wrist. There was a pulse. Sasuke was alive.

A clock struck in the background. 9:00 AM. Gaara's eyes dodged from Sasuke to Itachi. And, like a miracle, Sasuke stirred at the noise.

He opened his dark eyes, staring up at Gaara, pale hand moving to his own head, where he had been kicked. There was a dull thumping pain throughout his body. Reaching up, he wiped a tear from Gaara's cheek, smiling a little as if to show how stupid they both were. Gaara, who hadn't even noticed he was crying, sheepishly wiped his tears away with his arm, blushing slightly. "S-sasuke..." He said.

The raven-haired teen stared at him, showing that he was, indeed, listening. "I'm... I'm sorry." Gaara whispered. Sasuke let out a little laugh, then pushed himself up, wincing at the pain that was suddenly coursing through his body. Itachi still lay motionless beside them.

Sasuke stared at his older brother. He reached out, touching his jet black hair, watching the older teen in disappointment. "He... He was never..." He paused a moment, then continued. "He was never like that before the drugs."

Gaara nodded, sorry he couldn't understand Sasuke's situation as much as he wanted. Itachi grunted, and it sounded like he would stir soon enough. Gaara quickly stood, pulling Sasuke up along with him, standing next to him for balance. "S-sasuke... We need to call the police."

Of course, Sasuke immediately resented the idea. "No. I'm not fucking going to prison for buying drugs. I don't want to go to the hosp–" He stumbled a little, dizzy from such blood loss. There was a trail forming, and a pool collected under them. Gaara was shaking again, and he felt tears coming down his cheeks. "Please... Sasuke, please..."

Sasuke dizzily stepped towards the door, hand touching the knob, then turning it. He wouldn't listen to reason, nor would he string anymore words together. He wanted nothing more than to escape this prison.

And that was one thing that Gaara, in his own way, could understand. He quickly followed after his loved one without another glance at Itachi, shutting the door behind them. Then, he took Sasuke over to the elevator, and they started going out the lobby. Sasuke stood, leaning against Gaara's smaller frame, panting, blood dripping from his wounds that didn't seem to want to heal. And when they came to the lobby, the workers behind the counter immediately gasped.

One shouted something, while the other dialed 911. And then, Sasuke collapse, falling to the ground like a statue.

**-Four Months Later-**

Gaara opened his eyes, vision blurred. The sun was glowing through his bedroom window. He moved towards the spot of heat to his right. Sasuke lay there, still asleep, shirt off, black hair astray. Gaara flopped down again, sighing, then tugging a little at Sasuke's dark black hair.

It seemed like forever since that day that he had found out about Sasuke's brother. Since then, it had all blurred together... Counseling, Itachi going back to prison, Kankuro finding a new job, the hospital, Sasuke staying with them... Could so many things happen in such a short amount of time?

"Hey."

Gaara was surprised to see Sasuke open his eyes, then turn to him, leaning in and kissing him, gently, on the lips. Whenever Sasuke pulled something like this, Gaara never had a right way to react. After all this time, he still didn't know what to do in such a situation.

Sasuke let out a little laugh. "Don't look so surprised, Gaara... I do that every morning." Gaara grinned a little, then shrugged. "Y-yeah... I guess... I'm not used to it, is all."

They lay there in silence, both of them staring up at the ceiling. "Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Fear my cliche, over-used ending... I'm sorry for it, really, I am. Thank you for reading, all of you!  
I know. I didn't put a lemon in. I SUCK. Shoot me if you want. Pike my head if you want. Request a lemon in a one-shot if you want.  
I might actually do that last one on my own as a small add-on to this story, if you guys really want... Just tell me, and I'll do it.

Byebye guys, love you all. Keep an eye out for more of my stories in the future. 


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